Tag Archives: food relationship

Turns out that when you reward your children with food it can trigger emotional eating when they grow up – DUH!

While most parents try to keep their children from eating bad foods they also often reward good behavior or ease pain with these exact foods and it has been shown concretely from research at both Loughborough and Birmingham universities that children were much more likely to emotionally eat later in their lives if their parents used food as a reward or to ease pain.

If you are an emotional eater can you remember instances in your childhood where your parents rewarded a good grade with a special dessert, or perhaps went for ice cream after a win in sports, how about a lollipop after a penicillin shot at the doctors (remember those?), the dentist even gave us candy after filling a cavity! I can think of many ways in which I was given food to placate or deal with bad AND good events and emotions so according to this research I am not surprised I am addicted to food.

The good news is perhaps we can do better for our children now that we know. Think of other ways to celebrate and comfort your children now before the moment happens so that you are equipped.

Now what about you? Is it too late? No, of course not, you can establish new connections, new patterns and change your relationship with food. Unfortunately, because emotional eating is so rooted and cemented in the neural connections of the brain it is nearly impossible to change on your own because you only have the brain you have – the one that currently makes those connections. ReWiring the brain to make new associations and habits, those of a healthy, skinny person requires someone to teach you these new ways of thinking – just like they were taught when you were young – by your parents – the Skinny Coach can teach you how to be skinny. It takes time, it takes dedication but it is doable, you just need to know how. Start by taking the Sugar Addiction Quiz and schedule a talk with the Skinny Coach and surrender to a little help.

"My husband is thrilled that I've found a plan I can stick with and that's working so well. He says it's miraculous -- I look just like the girl he married!"

-Kathleen

"I lost 16.6 lbs in 28 days plus 21 ¾ inches my first month!"

-Genevieve

"I lost 15 inches my first month and am just so happy that I don't have to worry about what to eat anymore. Following the Skinny Coach plan is so simple, even in times of travel, sickness and holidays."